July 03, 2002

So far this little vacation of mine is turning out nicely. Yes, I've gotten plenty of cartooning done -- I hardly classify that as work, since it gives me something to do that I a) enjoy, and b) don't feel guilty about afterwards. (Camping out in front of the TV with a bag of chips for six hours on end would classify as a type 'b' activity for me. Why? What did you think I was talking about?) As of right now the buffer stands at 36 strips, which is a new record for me. They're good strips, too. I've been working on my art a bit by using a wider variety of line thicknesses. The result is pretty impressive if you look at the uncolored artwork. Once it's been colored and squrunched for web-friendly viewing, though, the effect is a bit more subtle.

I haven't made any progress on the PREMIUM front, but that's only because I've busied myself with some recreational pursuits. On Monday I took the family to the Museum of Ancient History at Thanksgiving Point. It's a big ol' dinosaur museum, and it's got a few activity centers for the kids, including a sandbox where you brush sand away from fossil skeletons.

The best activity there, though, is the erosion table. It's a waist-high (on me) system of big gutters that are full of sand, and that have water circulating through them from spigots at the 'high ground' points. You can sculpt with the sand and make canyons, meanders, dams, and islands, and then watch as the water (and the hyperactive 10-year-old children) change the face of your sand sculpture.

I could have stayed there all day. In fact, I was disappointed that my kids did not want to stay there very long. Fortunately, I bought an all-day pass, so I came back later that evening and my brother Randy and I spent another hour or so playing with the sand-and-water. Maybe it called up childhood memories. Maybe there's something therapeutic about playing with mud. Whatever the case, I felt better than I'd felt in ages standing there at the erosion table.

Good vacation. Ahhhh...